3 female students' sweep WASSCE best result award with 9 A1s

The three female students, all from private schools, beat 1,559,159 other candidates to emerge the best in the May/ June 2017 WASSCE.

Gabriel Dike

It was a clean sweep for three female students at the award ceremony for the best candidates in the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) held recently in Calabar, Cross River state.

Leading the pack was a native of Esan North Local Government Area of Edo State, Irabor Isabele Gelegu, former pupil of Oritamefa Baptist Model School, Ibadan, Oyo State, Etuonuma Favour Ngozi, an ex student of Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model College (EHJMC), Ilorin, Kwara State and Adedara Adenike Temitope, formerly of Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun state.

The three female students, all from private schools, beat 1,559,159 other candidates to emerge the best in the May/ June 2017 WASSCE. Also, they were among 923,016 candidates that obtained a minimum of credits in five subjects and above including English Language and Mathematics.

They were honoured at the 56th Annual meeting of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which was attended by council members, top government officials and management staff of the exam body.

The last time three female students swept the award in the May/June WASSCE was in 2012. They were Oginni Folafoluwa Mary (Our Lady and St. Francis Catholic, Osogbo, Osun State), Olalude Oluwakemi Eunice (Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja) and Ibekwe Chinelo Eudora (Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State.) Irabor, 18, with examination number 4310830094, scored grade 1 in all her eight subjects: Geography A1, English Language A1, General Mathematics A1, Biology A1, Chemistry A1, Physics A1, Technical Drawing A1 and Painting and Decorating. She had a total T-Score of 638.8738 to emerge the overall best.

Among laurels, awards and prizes she won during her primary and secondary education include second best graduating pupil, best in Visual Arts/Painting and Decorating from JSS1 to SS3, third best candidate in entrance exam into JSS1 in 2011, second best student from JSS1 and SS1-SS3, participated in Cowbell Mathematics competition (2014) in JSS2, first prize winner, Nigeria Society of Engineering quiz competition in 2017, University of Ibadan, third prize winner, Physiotherapy Society competition in 2015, UI and second best graduating student of Oritamefa Baptist Model School in 2017.

Also, at the award ceremony, Irabor’s school was presented with the Omo N’Oba Erediauwa coronation trophy for producing the best female candidate in the May/June 2017 WASSCE. With 289 in the UTME, she is presently studying Architecture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

Irabor’s classmate, 17-year-old Oluwatoni Adekunle, emerged the best male candidate in the May/June WASSCE with 9A1 and his school was presented with the Omo N’Oba Erediauwa coronation trophy for producing the best male candidate.

Oluwatoni scored 292 in the UTME and is presently studying Medicine and Surgery at the University of Ibadan. He told The Education Report that the foundation to emerge the best was laid when he was in JSS.

Etuonuma, 17-year-old from Ogwashi-Ukwu, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta state, who sat for the exam at EHJMC with exam number 4240824031, obtained distinction in eight subjects: Geography A1, English Language A1, Mathematics A1, Biology A1, Chemistry A1, Physics A1, Food and Nutrition A1 and Garment Making A1. She recorded a total T-Score of 628.75444 for candidate with the eight best subject including English and Maths.

She is presently studying Medicine and Surgery at University of Nigeria, Nsukka and has won several laurles and awards during her secondary education, these includes best overall student in JSS and SSS, inducted into the Hall of fame of EHJMC, outstanding member of Model Club and was the Head Girl of EHJMC.

Adedara, who garnered a total T-score of 628.2902 and with exam number 4280811001, emerged the third best student in the 2017 school examination with eight distinctions: Civic Education A1, English Language A1, Further Mathematics A1, Mathematics A1, Biology A1, Physics A1, Technical Drawing A1 and Garment Making A1.

The 17-year-old is presently studying Mechanical Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and she won laurels, awards and prizes which include: graduated as best student in the science and technology department, Louizan award for the graduating student who had distinguished herself in academics, morals, leadership and in service to her fellow students and to the school, one of the top 20 scorers for the October/ November 2016 IGCSE, best overall student in grade 10 and 11, silver medalist with CGPA of 8.09 out of 9.0 in grade 10, silver medalist with CGPA of 8.09 out of 9.0 in grade 11, silver medalist with CGPA of 7.84 out of 9.0 in grade 12 and most proactive graduating student 2016/2017 session.

Oritamefa Baptist Model School, Ibadan, a mission secondary school was established in 1996 and the school mission statement is ‘’Excellence through integrity.’’ It started to present candidates for WASSCE in 2002 and produced the best female WASSCE student in 2010, second best WASSCE result in West Africa in 2003 and best school in Oyo state, South West and Nigeria in 2014.

In 1984, the council came up two awards, International awards for candidates in more than one member-country and National awards, restricted to each member country.

According to WAEC, to be considered for a distinction award, the candidate must obtain: grade 1 in at least seven subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, one of Physics, Chemistry and Biology and one subject from any of the three sub-categories of core subjects.

The council said in addition, a candidate must obtain a minimum of grade 6 in at least one subject from each of the core subject sub-categories.

WAEC also revealed that candidates are considered under merit awards only if there were no students for distinction awards, noting ‘’the eligibility criteria for merit awards are same as those of distinction awards, except that a candidate must obtain a grade not lower than 2 in English Language.’’

The council acknowledged that two facts have emerged since the awards were instituted, winners have always been high flyers whose academic excellence spanned their primary and secondary school careers and who have continued to blaze the trial in the universities in Nigeria, Europe and America.

Also, that no school or class of schools has the monopoly of producing brilliant candidates as village/ community schools have once in a while produced award winners.

WAEC disclosed that the grades would have been obtained without any hint of impropriety and that the results of candidates eligible for an award must have been obtained at first attempt and at the same sitting.

The best school award went to Christ The King Catholic College (CKCC), Odolewu, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state, it emerged the winner of Augustus Bandele Oyediran prize/ trophy for the school with the best aggregate results in the May/June WASSCE.

Established by the Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode on September 8, 1995, CKCC in the May/June 2012 WASSCE produced the best male candidate and also in 2016, it emerged the best school in 2017 in WASSCE . It represented Nigeria in Holland for the World Mathematics Olympiad and won bronze medal in 2011 and Gold medals in 2012 in the same competition.

Principal of CKCC, Rev. Fr. Peter Onabamiro told The Education Report recently in Lagos that the school presented 58 students for the May/June WASSCE and over 40 obtained distinction.

Three schools in Cross River state were rewarded by WAEC during the NNC meeting for their students’ performance in the May/June 2017 WASSCE.

Assurance Community Secondary School, Ovukwa, Obubra, a private school was established by Pastor Terry Okwari in 2006 and it emerged first best with aggregate results in the school exam in Cross River state.Hillcrest College, Calabar, started business in 1998 and it emerged second best with aggregate results in the WASSCE in the state while Federal Science College, Ogoja which came into existence in 1992, it emerged 3rd best with aggregate results in the school candidate exam in the state.

The council presented the three schools with WAEC Endowment Fund book prize to state government officials.